KOCHI: The health wing of the Thrikkakara municipality on Tuesday closed down a takeaway eatery at Edachira near Kakkanad after three children of a family residing at EMS Colony in Edachira exhibited symptoms of food poisoning after eating the items ordered from the outlet.
Sources said the father of the children, who are aged 10, 5 and two-and-a-half years, had bought five porottas, two packets of pathiris, and two plates of chana masala from ‘Rahath Pathirikkada’ on May 18.
After consuming it, the youngest girl suffered from vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever. When her condition improved, the other two children fell ill with similar symptoms. They were taken to the hospital where food poisoning was confirmed.
Following an intimation from an ASHA worker, a team led by M Madhukumar, first-grade health inspector, inspected the shop on May 21 and ordered its closure citing unhygienic conditions.
The team also seized unlabelled packets of chapati and appam from the outlet. “Of the three children, the five-year-old was taken to the Public Health Centre in Kakkanad on Monday and referred to a child specialist,” said Madhukumar.
“We instructed the shop owner to fulfil the sanitary requirements within five days,” he said, adding that reopening of the shop and further actions will follow after considering the child’s condition.
“Officials from the food and safety department collected samples of food items from the eatery late Tuesday. The health wing will continue with inspections of eateries in the coming days,” Madhukumar said.
The squad also seized stale food from nearby shops, Harsh Dhabha, Jino Bar Hotel, and MM Bakery, and destroyed it.